Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 136: Geothermal Wonders and the Twilight of Fate

After resting for a night in Rapid City, Lin Yan stored the white Cadillac with its astonishing "appetite" in his spatial storage. Little Qi, tilting its head back, thought it was time for another fun game of choosing a location by catching objects on a map, its little tail wagging happily, when it heard Lin Yan laugh, "This time, where we go is up to me. I'll take you to an even more interesting place."

Xiao Qi's ears immediately drooped, and she made a "woo-woo" sound in her throat, rubbing her little head against Lin Yan's trouser leg, her dark eyes full of expectation for "to play again."

Lin Yan was amused and ruffled its fluffy head: "Alright, I'll let you choose next time. This time we're going to Yellowstone National Park. There are huge holes that spout hot water, colorful pools, and maybe even some spiritual veins that you like."

Upon hearing "fun" and "spiritual veins," Xiao Qi immediately perked up again, her slight disappointment instantly vanishing, and excitedly circled around Lin Yan's feet.

Applying an invisibility talisman and mounting the "Star" sword, Lin Yan, carrying Xiao Qi, transformed into an invisible streak of light and flew northwest towards Wyoming. The scenery beneath their feet gradually changed from the grasslands and hills of South Dakota to the majestic peaks and dense forests of the Rocky Mountains. A little over an hour later, a vast, pristine land, faintly scented with sulfur, appeared below—Yellowstone National Park had arrived.

To avoid causing a stir, Lin Yan landed in a secluded wooded area on the outskirts of the park, revealing himself. Then, like any ordinary tourist, he boarded an old bus within the park and headed to the Old Faithful Inn, which his puppet had booked in advance. This wooden inn, built in 1903, was filled with a nostalgic atmosphere. The huge stone fireplace, the heavy wooden furniture, and the geyser basin visible from the windows all intrigued Lin Yan and Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi was told to stay in the room, but it perched on the windowsill, watching the occasional white plumes of steam rising in the distance, its little nose twitching with curiosity.

Monday, August 17, 1959, early morning.

Sunlight streamed through the hotel window, waking Lin Yan. He sensed that the ley lines in the park seemed more active today than yesterday, and the smell of sulfur in the air seemed slightly stronger, but such fluctuations weren't particularly unusual in Yellowstone, where geothermal activity is frequent. He didn't think much of it, after all, fluctuations in energy in nature are normal.

The morning's activity was Yellowstone National Park's signature event—watching Old Faithful Geyser erupt. The observation deck was far less crowded and commercialized than it would be in later years; wooden walkways extended into the geyser basin, and tourists waited in small groups. Lin Yan, holding Xiao Qi disguised as a little white dog, stood in the crowd. Just after nine o'clock in the morning, Old Faithful lived up to its reputation. Accompanied by a deep rumble, a huge white column of water shot into the sky, lasting for about four or five minutes, the steam reflecting small rainbows in the sunlight. The surrounding tourists gasped in amazement.

Xiao Qi's eyes widened in amazement, and she shouted to Lin Yan with her divine sense, "Brother! Hot water! It's spraying so high!"

Lin Yan smiled and responded with his divine sense: "Yes, this is the power from underground."

His divine sense quietly probed downwards, clearly sensing the scorching magma chamber and intricate hydrothermal system deep beneath his feet. The surging energy was indeed much more active than in ordinary mountains, but it was still within a controllable range, like the rhythmic breathing of a sleeping giant.

After visiting Old Faithful, they strolled along the boardwalk through the Upper Geyser Basin. The vibrant Prismatic Spring, though only visible from afar, was already awe-inspiring in its sheer size and billowing steam. Other geysers, such as Castle Geyser and Riverside Geyser, each possessed their own unique characteristics. Lin Yan's consciousness wandered among these geothermal wonders, savoring the life force within the Earth.

In the afternoon, they boarded a park shuttle bus and headed north. The bus followed a winding road, first passing the West Thumb Basin beside Yellowstone Lake, where hot springs met icy lake water, creating a unique scene. Then, the bus drove towards another highlight of their trip—the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Standing at Artist's Point, overlooking the deep canyon and the rushing Yellowstone River's Upper and Lower Falls, the magnificent scenery was breathtaking. The golden rock walls shimmered in the setting sun, the waterfalls roared, and mist filled the air. Lin Yan felt a grand, desolate beauty unlike anything he had experienced in geothermal areas. Xiao Qi also quieted down, seemingly moved by the power of nature.

After the tour, it was already evening. The setting sun painted the sky orange-red. Lin Yan needed to decide on his accommodation for the night. He took out a park map and looked at it. Returning to Old Faithful was quite a distance, but the map showed a campground called Rock Creek near the Madison Cross Road to the northwest. It was close to the Madison River, scenic, and relatively secluded.

"Xiao Qi, how about we go camping tonight? Sleeping under the stars and listening to the river," Lin Yan asked his friends for their opinions.

"Aww! Okay, okay!" Xiaoqi is always full of enthusiasm for new things.

So Lin Yan took the last tour bus heading northwest and got off at Madison Road intersection as dusk fell. It was still a short distance to Rock Creek Campground, so he carried Xiao Qi and walked along the signs.

Around 8 p.m., they arrived at Rock Creek Campground. The campground was situated in a relatively open valley along the Madison River, surrounded by dense forests and rolling hills. By this time, most campers had already settled in; a dozen or so tents were scattered in the clearing, and several campfires flickered with warm light. People sat around the fires, chatting, roasting marshmallows, and children played. The air was filled with the aroma of burning pine and the smell of food—a scene of tranquility and peace.

Lin Yan chose a relatively secluded clearing near a stream, slightly elevated, to set up camp. He didn't bring a tent, but simply took out a thick sleeping mat and a sleeping bag from his storage ring and made some simple arrangements. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, camping in the wilderness was commonplace. Xiao Qi rolled around on the mat, thoroughly enjoying the camping experience.

As night deepened, the campfires gradually died down, and people returned to their tents to rest. The campsite grew quiet, leaving only the gentle murmur of the Madison River and the chirping of insects in the summer night. Lin Yan sat cross-legged on the mat, his divine sense habitually covering a radius of several hundred meters around him, both as a form of vigilance and as a way of perceiving nature. Xiao Qi was curled up beside his legs, snoring softly, fast asleep.

However, as midnight approached, Lin Yan gradually noticed something unusual. At first, it was very faint, like a low hum coming from a very distant place; if not for his keen senses, he would have been almost unable to detect it. This hum did not originate from the surface, but from deep underground, and as time passed, it was becoming clearer and more intense at an alarming rate! It was as if a ferocious beast, imprisoned for ten thousand years, was frantically pounding against its cage deep within the earth!

Lin Yan suddenly opened his eyes, a look of horror flashing in his pupils. This was no ordinary geological activity! The ferocity and suddenness of this energy surge far exceeded his imagination! He could even "see" the underground rock layers groaning under unbearable pressure, the immense stress accumulating wildly, already on the verge of collapse!

"Not good!" Alarm bells rang in Lin Yan's mind, and an unprecedented sense of crisis instantly gripped him. Without even a moment to think, he sprang to his feet, his voice, imbued with true energy, booming like thunder from a clear sky above the silent campsite:

"Earthquake! Get up! Everyone! Leave the tents immediately! Run to an open area!! Hurry!!!"

The loud shout was like a wake-up call, startling the sleeping people awake. Many groggily crawled out of their tents, while others were stunned by the sudden shout.

Less than ten seconds after Lin Yan shouted the warning—

11:37pm.

Rumble—!!!

A deep, muffled roar, as if from the depths of hell, suddenly erupted from the ground! Immediately afterward, the entire earth began to violently and frantically shake and tremble, like a maddened beast!